October 21, 2013

Sacajawea Peak trail # 385

On Saturday I hiked on the trail to Sacajawea Peak in the Coeur d’Alene Mountains. It is not as scenic as some of our trails here, staying mostly inside the forest, but a pleasant one none-the-less and some of the Western Larch were in full color. Grouse were plentiful, there was a fair amount of bear scat on the trail and some very fresh wolf scat, probably deposited earlier in the morning (bear scat from the previous day was frozen hard, but the wolf scat was still very soft – if you’re interested in such things). The trail (USFS trail 385) is steep in places and goes through some fairly wild country: I hiked only a little over four miles of it which gave me a climb of 1700 feet and six hours on a remote trail with no one else anywhere around, which is always a good way to spend a day.

Stunning, stunning photos. I love the colour of the larches. I can’t imagine how it must feel, knowing you’re hiking through a forest that has bears and wolves. Of course, they were here too, once! That panorama from the top is just spectacular.

Knowing the wild creatures are there, and seeing the signs that they leave is part of the wonder of hiking in the wild country. It gives one a feel of the world as it has always been, nature on its own, now altered or “tamed”.

The larch is a beautiful tree. I wish we had more of them here but they just dot the landscape here and there. That’s a beautiful hike with great views! Do you do anything special regarding the bears and wolves, like carry a weapon? We’re being over run by bears here and I’ve been thinking about getting one, but I’m having a hard time making the decision. Usually they won’t bother you but there is always that chance, and I’m out there alone.

My opinion is that if you hike alone far into the back country it is a good idea to carry a firearm, but you must be thoroughly trained in its use and comfortable using it. Wolves have never proved to be a threat, but mountain lions have been known to be problems on occasion (and one occasion is more than plenty). Since the early 70’s I have always carried a pistol when in the back country, usually my favorite, a S & W .357 magnum with a 4 inch barrel. When in grizzly country I also carry bear spray because a griz is so big and powerful that you can kill one with a good shot but he will live long enough to kill you as well: bear spray has proved to incapacitate one when used properly. Twice in all of those years I had to fire the pistol to discourage a black bear at very close range, and in each case one round as a warning was enough to discourage the bear and I didn’t have to harm him. I have never been threatened by a lion although I’ve noticed that several have followed my trail in the snow. There have been many lion attacks in Montana though and a friend of mine was threatened by one when elk hunting a few years ago.

Thanks for the information. I haven’t done so in years but I used to do a lot of target practicing with a .357 magnum long barreled pistol. Now i’m thinking about getting a semi automatic .45 caliber handgun, hoping to use it only as a deterrent if absolutely neccesary. I considered bear spray but i read a lot of instances where the wind blew it back into the users face, pretty much disabling them. Why the bears that they were spraying it at didn’t attack I don’t know. Anyhow, I’m glad to hear you say that one round scared them away because that is exactly what I was hoping. I have no desire to harm a bear or any animal, but I even have bears wandering through my backyard and walking down the road, so it’s starting to get just a little nerve wracking around here. Thanks again!

I have never had to use bear spray, but I have often wondered about the wind. It’s another reason why I always carry the pistol. You might think about a magnum because of the concussion wave they produce. In both cases when I had to fire mine, the bears shook their heads violently before running off and I attributed that to the concussion of the magnum hurting their ears.

After enough years, you get very comfortable out there, but I always make it my business to know what is around me and I’m very vigilant in areas where I see a lot of sign; scat, tracks, signs of feeding etc.

I love each little suggestion of trail. Yes, a beautiful way to spend a day. The third photo up from the bottom looks very much like a painting. Gorgeous images. Gorgeous country. Sacajawea Peak Trail … sigh …

That trail is a little difficult to see if you are looking for a tread. There are so many rocky areas and brush covers it in many places, but the corridor through the trees is always there and easy to see once you become familiar with those kind of trails. The photo overlooking the territory to the east was my lunch spot. And right next to where I sat was a place beneath the branches of some pines that had bear grass and a carpet of needles: a perfect place for a sleeping bag!

It has always been a little surprising to me that there are so many trails similar to that one here where you can hike all day or for several days without encountering anyone else. I spend a lot of my time on those old pack trails for that reason. The parks are much too busy and crowded and the designated wilderness areas also attract too many people for my likes. The real wilderness here can be found by using those old trails which are used by an occasional hunter, but mostly by folks who just like to be in the wild country. There seems to be very few of them.

Wonderful fall colours. Looks like a refreshing hike. Could you tell, maybe from the size of the droppings whether they were black bears or grizzly? I’m thinking the black bears would be more prolific. You know how to stay safe in bear country, right? If you see bear poop, you put a finger in it and if it’s still warm, run!

That area of the Coeur d’Alene Mountains has not been known to be grizzly habitat, but it is just across the Clark Fork river from the Cabinets which is. It’s usually very easy to distinguish griz scat from black bear. Black bear scat has the diameter and approximate volume of a very large dog. Griz scat had the diameter of a soda can or beer can and usually in a volume of at least a gallon.

There is an old story about Montana bears. Some people used to wear little bells to make a constant noise while they hiked to alert the bears (and supposedly keep them away). Others carry pepper spray. The saying is that you can recognize black bear scat because you can see small seeds in it. You can tell griz scat because it has little bells in it and has a slight odor of pepper spray.

Hi Montucky, I have only seen Wolves in the wild once and that was in Yellowstone Nat. Park. I had seen Grouse many times when I lived in the Sacramento, CA area years ago. Your Larch are beautiful! Have a super day!

I haven’t seen a wolf for years even though I see their signs in most places I go and hear them sometimes. I also see a lot of lion tracks in the snow but seldom see a lion. The Larch are getting brighter every day now!

Autumn splendor, so beautiful. I ventured out today in search of some places to photograph, but I didn’t go into the woods. The thought of coming across a bear when I’m alone (and weaponless) kept me from it. There have also been some sightings of some kind of wild cat (mountain lion?) in our area.

It’s a pretty trail, but there are few places where one can see out of the forest. One of my favorite photos was taken from this trail several years ago, a coyote which was on the same trail looking at me.